Zelfa Barrett believes he is ready to derail the “train” that is Kiko Martinez when they meet at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old Mancunian (24-1 with 15 wins inside distance) defends his IBF Intercontinental Super-Featherweight title against former world champ Martinez, live on Sky Sports Boxing in the UK and DAZN in more than 200 countries, including the United States.
Zelfa, trained by his uncle and former British super-lightweight king Pat Barrett, is coming off a superb knockout of Irishman Eric Donovan at Matchroom Fight Camp last August.
Barrett admits he had to “dig deep” that night, and is promising another spectacular show against the dangerous Martinez (41-9-2). The Spanish veteran has mixed it with the very best - including the likes of Josh Warrington, Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz.
Barrett bids to derail ‘train’ Martinez
“He’s like a train. He’s just going to come straight at me. I respect him as a fighter, and where he’s been. I’m there to do a job and I’m there to win, to look good as well,” said Zelfa.
“I’ve not underestimated this guy whatsoever. I’ve been disciplined. I’ve sacrificed my life to get where I’m at now.
"I know for a fact he’s going to come guns blazing. He’s going to be there every single second of every single round. We’re prepared for that. I can’t switch off. I’ve got to be focused on him. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to put on a spectacular performance.
“We take every fight like it’s a World Title fight. My Uncle Pat makes sure of that anyway. The only time we didn’t is the time we got beat (against Ronnie Clark in 2018).
“When you compare that fight to other fights, that wasn’t Zelfa Barrett. Every fight is important, every day is important, every session is important, every round is important.
“Blood, tears, sweat and knockouts. That’s what you can expect to see. That’s what I bring. This is what people want to see.
“If it’s going to be a 12-round masterclass then people will be intrigued by it too. I bring entertainment. I am entertainment. I’m there to put on a performance and be classy."
Donovan a tough night
While Barrett’s KO of Donovan last summer may have been highlight-reel stuff, Zelfa admits his performance as a whole wasn’t up to his normal standard.
"Eric Donavan is a good fighter, a wicked fighter. I’ll never take anything away from him. I had to dig deep physically, mentally and emotionally.
“There was a point where my uncle said, ‘look at this kid, he’s tired, change the game plan and go forwards’.
"I just looked at my arm, grabbed my cup, put my hands together and thought, ‘let’s go’. That’s what I had to do. I’ve not thrown anything perfect like that before. Practice makes perfect though. We’ve been drilling every single punch we can think of. Nothing is a fluke.
"Credit to Eric Donovan. The finish was spectacular. The middle and the during wasn’t, for my standards. I’m a lot better than that. On February 13 I’m going to put on one hell of a performance. I believe I’m one of the best fighters in Britain, in any weight category. I believe in myself and what I do."
Saturday night’s bill is topped by the return of the aforementioned Warrington (30-0) as he faces Mexican Mauricio Lara (21-2) to tune up for much bigger tests to come later in 2021.
Meanwhile, Nottingham’s Leigh Wood (23-2) and Doncaster’s Reece Mould (13-0) lock horns with the vacant British Featherweight Title on the line.